Support for engineer&#39;s plumb rod and highway warning signal



July 15, 1958 J. w. KING 2,843,347

SUPPORT FOR ENGINEER'S PLUMB ROD AND HIGHWAY WARNING SIGNAL Filed Sept. 15. 1954 Fig. 4

John m K/b v INVTOR.

BY MM 219% United States Patent SUPPORT FOR ENGINEERS PLUMB ROD AND HIGHWAY WARNING SIGNAL John W. King, Fullerton, Calif.

Application September 13, 1954, Serial No. 455,597

1 Claims. (Cl. 248-44) The present invention relates to new and useful improvements in plumb rods used in surveying and other measurements combined with a supporting base and equipping the base with a flag holder for use as a portable highway warning signal.

An important object of the invention is to provide a supporting base for the plumb rod of a hollow construction to be filled with sand or other bulk material to add weight thereto and prevent tilting of the base and wherein the contents of the base may be easily emptied to facilitate handling and carrying thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide a supporting base of box-like construction and provided with a channel-shaped socket in which the lower end of a surveyors plumb rod may be removably supported and also providing the base with a tubular socket for receiving a fiagstalf as a warning signal to motorists when the engineer or surveyor is working on a highway.

A still further object is to provide leveling means for the base.

An additional object is to provide a device of this character of simple and practical construction, which is relatively inexpensive to manufacture and otherwise well adapted for the purpose for which the same is intended.

These together with other objects and advantages which will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

Figure 1 is a perspective view;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view;

Figure 3 is a top plan view; and

Figure 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the plumb rod showing the spirit level mounted thereon.

Referring now to the drawing in detail, wherein for the purpose of illustration, I have disclosed a preferred embodiment of my invention, the numeral 5 designates a supporting base of box-like construction and of triangular shape and preferably constructed of metal.

A channel-shaped socket 6 is welded or otherwise suitably secured in a vertical position to the outside central portion of one of the walls of the base and the bottom of the socket is closed, as indicated at 7. A tubular socket 8 is welded or otherwise suitably secured inside the base 5 adjacent the corner of the latter remote from the socket 6.

A strap metal rod 9 is welded or otherwise suitably secured to the bottom of the base 5 parallel to and flush with the wall 10 to which the socket 6 is secured, and the ends of the rod 9 project outwardly at each side of the base to form a pair of oppositely extending arms 11. Ad-

2,843,347 Patented July 15, 1958 15 extends downwardly at the underside of the base 5 at the corner thereof remote from the wall 10 and in a triangular or tripod arrangement with respect to the adjusting or leveling screws 12.

A surveyors target rod 16 of rectangular shape in cross-section has its lower end removably and tightly fitted in the socket 6 to support the rod in a vertical position, and one surface of the rod is provided with a vertical target line 17 while a spirit level tube 18 is secured to the opposite surface of the rod. A flagstaff 19 is inserted in the tubular socket 8 and the base 5 is filled with sand or other bulk material 20 to add weight thereto and prevent the base from tipping over.

The target rod 16 is placed in position in the socket 6 with the target line 17 and the wall 10 of the base facing forwardly and the device may then be placed on a highway 21 and with the target line 17 in a vertical plane with a marker or monument 22 embedded in the highway. The leveling screws 12 are adjusted to position the target line 17 perpendicularly with respect to the marker 22, as indicated by the level 18.

The outer surfaces of the base 5 may be painted or otherwise provided with contrasting colored stripes 23, by means of which the same may be more readily observed by motorists approaching the device from either direction.

From the foregoing, the construction and operation of the device will be readily understood and further explanation is believed to be unnecessary. However, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction shown and described, and accordingly, all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the appended claim.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

A support for a surveyors target rod comprising a hollow open top base having vertical side walls adapted for loading with bulk material to stabilize the same and being of triangular shape for streamlining to prevent wind from shifting the same, a vertical socket on said base for holding a target rod upright, said socket being secured to one side wall externally of the base to dispose the same out of bulk material in the base and having a closed bottom for supporting a target rod, a depending bottom prong on said base remote from said one side wall forming a ground engaging fulcrum for leveling the base thereon, and a leveling rod fixed to the bottom of the base and provided with terminal ground engaging jack screws, said rod extending along and parallel to said one wall and outwardly of said base to space the rod remote from said prong and position the jack screws and prong in triangular arrangement with the jack screws spaced outwardly of said base.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 284,513 Tebar Sept. 4, 1883 2,245,901 Chaskin June 17, 1941 2,283,324 Faber May 19, 1942 2,473,047 Bershad June 14, 1949 2,502,103 Puls Mar. 28, 1950 2,647,712 Sandmoen Aug. 4, 1953 

